United Nations Secretary General António Guterres‘s Article 99 letter to the UN Security Council — warning starkly of a seminal humanitarian crisis in Gaza — displays what Washington, DC attorney Bradley Moss portrays as a “disturbing bias from the SecGen.”
Moss notes that in the two-page letter, “one paragraph spanning four sentences denounces October 7th. The rest is criticism of Israel.”
This letter spans 2 pages. One paragraph spanning four sentences denounces October 7th. The rest is criticism of Israel.
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) December 6, 2023
Not once does it demand Hamas lay down its arms. It does demand Israel stop operations. https://t.co/8qkAimGGGJ
“Not once in this whole letter does the SecGen mention that Hamas continues to embed itself within the civilian infrastructure, in violation of international law, and therefore increases the likelihood of Israel’s strikes causing civilian damage,” writes Moss, who “specializes in litigation on matters relating to national security [NatSec], federal employment and security clearance law.”
Nor does the Guterres letter, Moss writes, “demand Hamas lay down its arms,” though it does “demand Israel stop operations.”
Guterres writes that “the international community has a responsibility to use all its influence to prevent further escalation and end this crisis” and reiterates his “appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared,” even as he acknowledges that more than 130 hostages taken by Hamas are “still captive” and the “accounts of sexual violence during the attacks are appalling.”
From that sentence Guterres cuts away from the Hamas atrocities and segues to a new paragraph, beginning: “Civilians throughout Gaza face grave danger.”
There is little doubt that civilians in Gaza face grave danger. One major issue for the international community is to determine which party is most responsible for putting Palestinians in that danger — Israel or Hamas?
Israeli Minister Yonatan Gonen shared the video below, purportedly of a Palestinian woman saying that humanitarian aid is wasted in Gaza because Hamas greed and corruption prevents it from reaching ordinary citizens.
A must watch:
— Yonatan Gonen (@GonenYonatan) December 6, 2023
A Gazan woman surprises Al Jazeera reporter and tells him that Hamas is taking all the humanitarian aid to its terrorists in the tunnels. The reporter tries to convince her otherwise but she continues to attack Hamas.@MOhadIsrael pic.twitter.com/ZrtYhq4vSU
